It is simply a factual article giving some assistance to you in your choice making and dispels some of the myths surrounding black granites.
Black granite is one of the most popular stone materials, why you might ask? It’s because it always looks great, polishes well and provides wonderful feeling to you. This popularity means there is always someone willing to sell you inferior stone at a higher price. So this article may well assist you in understanding what you are looking for and how to achieve the best choice possible.
Technically not all black granites are real granites, some are basalt. However for commercial purposes they are all grouped under the granite name. Granite is coarse grained and quarried from under the earth’s surface. Basalt is dark in color with fine grain, the majority of which are volcanic in origin. It is formed from the rapidly cooling lava flows.
It is only our opinion, but perhaps the most common misunderstanding is that all Absolute Black granites are the same material, they are not! These can vary widely in color, quality and price.
The original Absolute Black was from Sweden named Sutareboda and this has been quarried for many years. Sweden also produces the famous Ebony Black granite. This is very hard and durable coupled with its ability to take a very beautiful polish makes it a very nice stone. It is also well known for its almost metal “ringing” tone when hit it with a hard metal stuff. It is also very expensive.
In 1962 South Africa began to export Belfast Black granite and shortly after that the trade providers in Italy started calling this granite Nero Assoluto meaning black absolute. There have and remain many alternative names for this granite such as South Africa Ebony, South African Black and Prairie. Some of the South African granites can be “rice grain” in the slabs’ surface and some can contain less black spot and more silver reflective elements.
Since the early sixties Nero Assoluto has become the generic name for many blacks supplied from Italy, Angola, China, India, South Africa, Zimbabwe and many other countries. So unless one is specific, it means the granite could actually be from anywhere!
The first China black granite block is from Hebei province. Since 1990, China black granite has produced for more than 35 years. When the first black granite block was produced, it soon becomes famous in the whole country even in the world. It is very beautiful, the high brightness and cheaper price make it very popular in many countries, especially in Russia, East Europe, and Middle East. Not for very long time later, Shanxi Black granite quarry began to be mined. It was also becoming famous soon. Shanxi black granite and Hebei black granite both have their own grades. Shanxi black include Shanxi black A and Shanxi black B and Shanxi black Flamed slabs. Hebei black granite include Hebei black 1# and Hebei black 2# and Hebei black 3#. Hebei black granite 1# is one of the rare stone materials, Absolute black and no any grain on it, no any spot on it, very beautiful just like the black mirror. You can only see it when it appears to you, never be found when you wanna it. So there is not large quantity on the market. Hebei black granite 2# is the most popular kind in the market. It is very hard, and the brightness can be more than 100 degree. Because of that it is more expensive to use in the buildings, most of this material is used to tombstones, gravestones, and monuments. In Hebei province, there is one another black granite material called G37. If it is not be polished, you will found that the granite is a little green color. But after polished, it is also black, just with big flower on it. The price is much cheaper. Shanxi black granite A is very expensive, but the quality is the best, it is also named absolute black granite. Shanxi black B is just like Hebei black 2#, very large quantity, affordable prices, so it is one of the most familiar material in the market.
Mongolia Black includes some grades too. But not all of the Mongolia black is granite. Some of them are Basalt. Basalt is softer than granite, and basalt is hard to keep it completely for long. So basalt is usually not so good as granite. But the true Mongolia black granite is like Shanxi black granite, it’s beautiful and the price is similar with Shanxi black granite.
All the black granite have its own customers, people just need to choose them which they really need.